ALTERNATE CROP - U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walk after laying wreaths at the cenotaph at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan, Friday, May 27, 2016. Obama visited Hiroshima on Friday, after the Group of Seven summit in central Japan, becoming the first sitting American president to do so. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Carolyn Kaster
May 27, 2016 - 2:43 PM
Highlights from the news file for Friday, May 27:
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OBAMA VISITS HIROSHIMA: U.S. President Barack Obama greeted survivors of the American atomic bombing at Hiroshima, Japan. Obama spoke briefly with survivors who were in the audience for his remarks. The president's interaction with survivors was highly anticipated ahead of his historic visit. Obama did not apologize for the decision to bomb, but paid tribute to the victims and decried the horrors of war.
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TRUDEAU PUTS POSITIVE SPIN ON G7: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's encouraged that the other Group of Seven leaders have made a renewed promise to stop paying ransoms for hostages and he is also pleased with their approach to boosting the global economy. The ransom promise is similar to a G7 pledge from three years ago, which experts say member countries didn't live up to. And with regards to the economy, the G7 essentially pledged to continue with their own individual strategies.
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MINISTER DEFENDS ASSISTED DYING BILL: The federal government considered referring its proposed assisted dying law to the Supreme Court to see if it is constitutional, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has disclosed. But she said that option was ultimately rejected because the court had indicated it's up to parliamentarians to come up with a legislative response to its landmark ruling last year, which struck down the ban on medical assistance in dying. Wilson-Raybould suggested that the court would have bounced the matter right back to Parliament.
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LIBERALS PROMISE PROGRESS ON ANTI-TERRORISM REVIEW: The Trudeau government says it will deliver soon on its promise for a review of anti-terrorism legislation. Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc also says legislation to create an oversight committee will be introduced before Parliament breaks for the summer and he hopes it will pass quickly in the fall. He says Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale will also soon begin a public review of anti-terrorism legislation passed by the previous Conservative government. The Liberals supported that legislation, but said they would repeal some controversial provisions to ensure a better balance between security and individual civil liberties.
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LIBERALS SAY DEFICIT, TORIES SAY SURPLUS: The latest figures from the federal finance department have renewed a war of words between the governing Liberals and the opposition Conservatives over the state of Canada's finances. The Liberals say the figures, which show a small deficit in the last fiscal year, confirm the Tories left the books in the red when they lost the election last fall. However, the Conservatives place blame for the deficit squarely on the Liberals, saying some of the changes they made when they took power have affected revenues.
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VICKERS' TAKEDOWN OF PROTESTER RAISES QUESTIONS: The federal government was tight-lipped after Canada's ambassador to Ireland raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean by tackling an Irish protester at a commemoration event Thursday in Dublin. But experts in diplomatic security and diplomacy said Kevin Vickers' decision to take matters into his own hands raises serious questions of judgment — even though Canadians widely hailed the former sergeant-at-arms as a hero for the incident. As one security expert put it, Vickers "pulled a Chretien."
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CALGARY MAYOR APOLOGIZES TO ONTARIO PREMIER: Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has apologized to Ontario's premier for the way she was ridiculed by the Wildrose party's finance critic in the Alberta legislature. Nenshi says Albertans are more polite than the mocking comments made by Wildrose finance critic Derek Fildebrandt. With Wynne sitting in the public gallery of the legislature, Fildebrandt dismissed her province as a failed, debt-bloated enterprise. Wynne has not commented on the controversy.
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MAN LINKED TO ORGANIZED CRIME GUNNED DOWN: A man with alleged high-level ties to organized crime has been gunned down near Montreal. Police confirm the man shot dead in his car Friday is Rocco Sollecito, who is described by Mafia experts as a former prominent associate of the late Vito Rizzuto.
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STORMIER 2016 ON EAST COAST: Canadian forecasters expect the Atlantic hurricane season will see more normal storm activity in 2016 as the calming effects of El Nino begin to weaken. The Canadian Hurricane Centre predicts 10 to 16 storms for the Atlantic Basin this year with four to eight expected to become hurricanes and two expected to become major in force. The slightly higher number of storms expected would be due to lower wind shear conditions produced by the La Nina effect on the Atlantic. Wind shear affects wind speed and direction, and when it's increased over the Atlantic there tend to be fewer hurricanes.
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SEARCH NARROWS FOR EGYPTAIR PLANE: The search for the EgyptAir plane that crashed last week killing all 66 people on board including two Canadians has narrowed to a five-kilometre wide area in the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt's chief investigator says it's based on signals from the craft's emergency beacon. The cause of the tragedy still has not been determined.
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2016